{Selfies}

I played with photo booth (the webcam on my computer) a few times last week. :)
Nerdy. I know. But it was fun.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

{Digital Elements}

I had a decent collection of digital elements, all neatly ordered into folders and categories,

but I lost them when my PC laptop died late in 2009.

(Update on crashed computer: The hardrive was still under warranty. So, I got it replaced,

and instead of paying Best Buy Geek Squad $200 to install it and reconfigure my computer

-- again -- my darling husband recently figured it out himself for FREE!)

Anyway, the loss of all those digital elements has been bothering me ever since. Projects I

thought would be fun to make -- like a new blog banner -- were put on hold in the name of

downloading more elements so I would have them to work with.

That situation has now been rectified. Ahhh. I again have complete folders for alphabets,

paper, embellishments, and the rest. I still want to add to it, but glorious order is restored.

Me explaining how all this works would kind of be like me giving a grammar lesson in French.

I know just enough to be dangerous and get by. So, you would end up very confused.

It would be my pleasure to give a little direction, for those of you who are wondering ...

* I Googled "digital scrapbooking freebies".

* That lead me to this site. It tells you where to find them.

* I downloaded everything from here.

Making a new banner is the next step.

Few random things:

* Today is David's birthday (36) and our dating anniversary (11). **Time really does fly.** Happiest birthday wishes to my wonderful husband. I love you, and I'm looking forward to

celebrating tonight!

* Tomorrow, I'll post my entries for the photo hunt challenge. I just need to find one more

photo for the sound category. I'll take a photo of my iPod if all else fails, but I'm hoping

inspiration strikes today while I'm out and about.

* The tile is looking so insanely nice. They still have a few pieces to lay on the bathroom

floor and then the tile baseboards to do. After that, it's time for grout and sealer. Photos soon!

* As of tomorrow, I will have blogged every single day this month! Woot-woot. I've only

done that once before for National Blog Posting Month in November 2008. It's felt good!

{Kudos to Cox}

Cox is our local cable provider, along with Quest.

I called them the other day because between our internet, home phone and cable ...

You know, it adds up. I wanted to see if we could tweak what we had to save a few

bucks. They did me one better and hooked us up with 25% off our monthly bill for

six months. I didn't even ask for such a thing, but it was one of the options she gave

me when we were chatting about internet speeds and what she did with her kids

over the Easter Weekend.

Right on, Cox Cable! That's a savings of $44 a month. I'll take it, thank you. Then, in

six months, we'll re-evaluate and see what's what. I know some of you have totally

scrapped your land line and others your cable, watching TV via the Internet.

I'd love to know what you've tried, liked and not liked.

And in the meantime, I want Cox Cable to know, I appreciate them, too. :)

{Reporting Today from the Bright Side}

That's right.

Finally started the crossover to MAC.



We decided it wasn't worth putting a second hard drive into my Dell laptop.

And this way, I get to play with all kind of new toys! :)





Our desktop is still a PC. So, I'm a half-sy right now.

Enjoying the transition though, for the most part.

The downside is that my Photoshop CS4 is for a PC. I had it on my laptop but never put it

on the desktop. When I tried to the other day, I found out there isn't enough RAM on that computer. So, I'm just using the Elements 3.0 that came free with my camera and trying to decide what I want to do about that. It's bummin' me out a little. I'm going to take the

opportunity to learn how to use iphoto though. Otherwise, I'm excited about my new,

shiny MAC and all the yummy things it can do.

I do have a PC question though. I'm hoping one of you techy girls will be know the answer.

Q: Sometimes when I click on the button to safely remove my external harddrive, it says

no because it's "still in use" even though it's not in use. Why is that? Is there something I should be doing differently?

{Motorcycle Gang Arrests, LIVE from Kingman}

My last day of reporting at NewsWatch ...

(I'm going out of order here as far as posting stories.)

I'm kind of floundering trying to come up with a good, one day turn ...

Calling to do a story on this guy who legally changed his name to Santa Claus ...

Mark walks up to me and says I need to be in Kingman for a 2PM presser.

Well, okay!

The best part ... we were going to go live from Kingman. We have the capability to go live

around the outside of our building, but we don't have a live truck. So, the only way to go live from location is via ichat (which is essentially Skype). I hadn't done it before, and neither had Mike, who went out there with me. So, we were both excited for a new experience. We flew to Kingman and made it there just in time. We shot the press conference, finishing up at 3PM.

We then had two hours before we were going live with the top story on the 5PM newscast.

The idea was to write a script and then upload and edit the video. Since I wasn't in the

newsroom where I could cut my voice track, I was going to do a live reader over the video.

None of us (Mike, me or the people in the newsroom) had ever tried to send cut video files

(FTPs) before. So, I wrote the script. Mike edited the video ...

And we couldn't figure out how to send it.

Time for a new plan.

The station got video and stills from the police that they edited together for video. Melanie

(the producer) and I talked over the phone to rewrite the script to fit the visuals they had.

Meanwhile, Mike worked to set up ichat but was having troubles getting a strong enough Internet connection. So, at 4:30PM we left the police station parking lot in search of a Starbucks

that I'm still convinced does not exist. We pulled into this mom and pop motel and begged

the owner to let us hook up to hers. She was in!

We were the top story of a 5PM newscast. At 4:45PM, we still didn't have the ichat up.

I called the special line and got ready to do a phoner. I was doing this from the parking

lot next door in order to get a phone signal. Mike was around the corner and out of my

sight. So, we ran back and forth a few times. Crazy!

They bumped us into the second block of the newscast to give us more time to figure out the ichat, and it worked. Mike was able to connect to it. (Cue singing angels.) I literally ran to the camera with ten seconds to spare before going LIVE!

It was insane. Mike and I were pumped full of adrenaline afterwards. His hands were shaking,

my heart was racing.

I was a little disappointed when I watched it back. I stumbled a couple times, my hair was a mess, that deep breath before the video started was not supposed to have been on camera, etc.

But it was still the most exciting day in reporting I've experienced yet, and I learned a lot from it. So ultimately, I wouldn't change a think about it.

*******************

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." -Robert Schuller

{Stupid Spam}

I hate spam.

But I've been lucky not to get any on this blog.

Until this week.

Damn, spammers.

So, I had to turn on word verification for comments. I'm hoping that keeps them away.

Bummer.

{First Photoshopped Banner}

Most of you blogger chicks have been making your own banners in Photoshop for years.

I marvel at them but have never created one myself. Well, not a tricked out one, anyway.

I have at least been making the kind with a photo and my blog name typed over it (see

the one above) for awhile now, thanks to a how to Lindsay posted a long time ago.

What I do know about Photoshop is limited and basically all self taught. It's a shame

since I am lucky enough to have an awesome PS program. Kind of a waste not to use

it to it's full potential, right?

Last week, I had an opportunity to learn a few PS things in Online Media. We all did a

simple exercise to get the basic idea of how to use layers and elements. (Click here to

see step-by-step instructions.) Then, we were told to get busy making our own banner

for our personal resume site (that we're in the process of making now). This is what I

came up with -- using simple elements I found online and this photo taken by Jennifer

last year. I might make another one that's a little more professional looking.

Woo hoo! That was sooo fun. I'm hooked. :)

{Super Elementary Actions Lesson}

Part of my May resolution #1 -- actions.

This is going to be so basic. You almost shouldn't use it as a 

learning tool. Cuz I know just enough to be dangerous. 

Teaching myself as I go. That's always a very slow process 

for me and technology. But I'm learning and wanted to 

share.

I'm really excited to be getting into actions. Most of the people 

whose photos I look at for inspiration or whose blogs I read 

and learn from use actions. Those are the people who should 

be doing a post explaining that stuff. Not that they "should", 

but if they did, those are the ones you'd want to learn actions 

from, I think.

I'm gonna post a bit on the subject anyway. This is like Actions

101. Or Actions 01. Super simple intro stuff. 

What are actions? 

They automate a series of things you do to your images. So, if 

you always do the same few steps to your photos (in photoshop), 

an action can be created to do that with a click of a button.  

They can also be used to create looks that you might otherwise 

not know how to do -- cool effects like making your photo have

a vintage look, for example.

Where do I get actions?
There are probably a lot of places. I'll mention two.

Lis told me about this one -- Coffeeteaphotography 

The ones there are FREE. This chick graciously creates & shares 

actions free of charge. (She accepts donations.) It's awesome of 

her to do that. But you also get what you pay for. They require 

you to do some of the work -- the part that makes actions kinda 

hard. At the same time, having the option to tweak the action is 

nice because you can adjust it according to your own style. She 

usually provides some kind of tutorial for each action. If you 

follow that step-by-step, you'll understand exactly what to do 

with that action. She also has story board actions there, (which 

look really cool, but I haven't tried any of those yet).

Lindsay and Kristi get their actions here -- Totally Rad Actions.

These are better and easier to use, but you have to purchase 

them. They suggest you have "Photoshop CS2 or higher" and 

"at least basic working knowledge of layer masks". I don't have 

the latter. So, I'm going to keep practicing and reading before I 

purchase anything. Linds showed me some of their stuff really

fast one day, and it looks awesome. So, if you're in the market, 

these come recommended.

How do I get started if I want to use the freebies?

First, you need to know how to download or install them. There

is a step-by-step video tutorial at Coffeeteaphotography that can 

be found here. It's got info regarding what kind of PS you need 

(which varies depending on the action) and steps that are specific 

to a mac or pc.

Then, click here. These are all the Coffeeteaphotography actions.

I watched the tutorial on installing them (which is like 17 minutes 

long but totally worth it because it's clear and easy to follow). 

Then, I was able to quickly download 18 actions -- all for free! If 

I could figure it out, anyone can. For reals.

How do I use the action once it's in PS?
This is the part I'm still learning. I'll tell you what I know so 

far. It'll get you started.

1. Open the photo in PS that you want to apply an action to.

2. Open your actions window. In my program (PS C4 on a PC), 

I go to the WINDOW tab at the top. Then click ACTIONS. A 

window with all my actions pops up. (If you don't see this on 

your PS, click HELP.)

3. Click the ARROW next to the desired action. Some stuff will 

appear below it, (sometimes it'll just be one thing or other times

it'll be a whole list of things). SINGLE CLICK THE ACTION 

NAME at the top of the list to highlight it. 

4. At the bottom of the actions window, you should see a PLAY 

BUTTON. Double click it to start the action.

5. Generally speaking, press continue or follow prompts as they 

come up. This is part of what I'm still trying to figure out. 

Reading the tutorials that come with each individual action 

should help with this part of the process.

6. The action will apply itself to your photo by creating layers. 

Double click the LAYERS TAB to open it so you can see what's 

going on. Click on each layer to change fill or opacity to adjust 

the look of the action as desired. (If you need to start over, drag 

each layer to the trash.)

7. Once you're done playing with the photo, and you have the 

desired look you're going for -- FLATTEN the image, which will 

merge all your layers into one. To do this, go to the LAYER tab 

at the top. Then, click on FLATTEN IMAGE.

8. SAVE as normal and you're done. 

A few samples of what these actions look like:

{NOTE: The original photo is untouched. Then, I only applied 

the action without any of my own tweaking so you can see what 

the actions look like. Except I haven't read any action tutorials

yet. So, I'm not applying them 100% as intended, and I know 

they could all look better (and will with practice). This will give 

you an idea though.}

  
BEFORE & AFTER vignette



BEFORE & AFTER honey retro

BEFORE & AFTER barista in b&w

BEFORE & AFTER Attic Vintage

Also, I used lomo on the photos in this post.

I hope this super limited, amateur tutorial is helpful to you. 

If you hadn't heard of or tried actions before and this inspired 

you to have a go at it, I'd love to hear about that. 

If there's something here that's really unclear, let me know, 

and I'll try to find a better way to explain it. 

If you're an actions pro -- please share what you use, don't use 

and any other tips you can offer to help us newbies along.

Happy photo editing.  :)

{That Can't Be Good}

This is what I saw when I tried to turn my laptop on last night.
Not sure what the fuck it means, but it doesn't look good. It
wouldn't actually log on. It just froze on this page. What really
sucks is that all the notes for the exam I have in Mass Comm
Law on Wednesday morning ... You guessed it. They're all on
this laptop. I'm going to take it in today to see if they can figure
out what the deal is. Here's to hopin'.

{UPDATE: Thanks for all your support today! I know I am not
the first or the last person to deal with this kind of thing. I took
my laptop to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. I paid $100 for data
recovery. They pulled everything I had saved on my computer
including my notes for tomorrow's exam and put it on a disk. I
picked that up at 8pm tonight. Then, I paid another $200 for
them to run an advanced diagnostic. They thought it was the
operating system at first glance, as opposed to the harddrive.
Hopefully they'll be able to fix everything without having to
charge me anything additional. They said it may take up to
three or four days. So, we'll see. At least I got my notes. So
very thankful for that. So. Very. Thankful.}

{Shopping Tip}

Have you ever bought shoes online through Zappos.com?
My brother sang their praises to me a couple years ago.
This week was my first time using them, and I loved it.
NO SALES TAX.
NO SHIPPING.
Ordered Saturday,
received Monday.
Tough to beat!

These are my very favorite shoes:

Now my old, beat up ones are replaced with
a shiny, new pair. This makes me happy.

The site was totally easy to navigate. Check out was
painless -- and they have 24/7 online customer service.
I'll definitely use them again.

I hope you're in a good place today!

{Last Weekend...}

... was a good one. It made me smile repeatedly.

Friday, I did a videography shoot in the morning -- got
some great stuff for my next piece. It's on buying locally
produced foods. (Did you know the average food travels
1,200 miles before it lands on your dinner table?)

I did most of my shooting here, at Vertuccio Farms. This
photo is from their website. Totally worth a visit -- if
you're in the east valley. They have a small store filled with
all kinds of locally made and grown goodies. They even make
roasted peppers for Oregano's and all kind of really cool stuff.
Anyhoo...

Saturday, was Lindsay's baby shower! She did a post on it
already. We all had an awesome time. Kim Kwan did an
INCREDIBLE job with absolutely everything. It was a
wonderful morning!

How precious are these hand knitted hats from
her friend, Elizabeth? And they were so soft.

After a fabulous afternoon nap...
D and I went to see Jimmy Fallon at The Tempe Improv
Saturday night. We laughed our asses off for an hour and
a half. Awesome date.


Sunday was reserved for relaxation with a strong emphasis
on watching television! We were both up for a lazy afternoon.

I love couch days with this guy.


I also got to Skype with Aaron (my brother) and the kids.
Here he is with Aidan and Catherine. It was so good to
see them! Catherine taught me a new joke. What do you
get when a pig does karate? A pork chop. Fabulous.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready so we can
leave for Hawaii. (Three cheers for David's company
and all the hard work they do!!) Catch ya on the flip
side.

{Well Documented Nation}

If you blog, twitter, facebook, or myspace,
I think you might find this article interesting.
It's from The Week (my most favorite magazine)
and it contains thoughts on the matter from
a few different sources. There are different takes
on the whole thing, but the point it ends with is
a good one -- in this bloggers opinion, anyway.
Click image to enlarge.



Happy documenting!

{Gettin' Our Movie On}

I am so excited.
We just joined Netflix.
(Surprise, David!)

I put 30 movies in our queue,
including the John Adams mini-series.
(Thanks for the recommendation, Jen.)
What's out there that we simply
must see? I'd love to hear a couple
of your recent favorites so I can
bulk up our list with some good ones.

Happy Tuesday!

Tap, Tap, Tap. Is this thing on?

I'm starting to realize that I'm technology-simple. We don't TiVo. I don't even
have a cell phone. I've never taught myself a computer program. I'm still
figuring out how to use my new camera. So, I'm stepping out onto what feels
like the lonely edge of technology by starting this blog. With a little time,
practice and help from my blogger-expert friend, Lindsay Teague, I plan to
have this thing looking a lot more interesting very soon. And hopefully what
seems now like a lonely edge will soon be filled with visits from all our
favorite people.

There are so many fantastic things we're seeing here, and we want to share
them with you. That little jump over the pond put us a long ways away! I'm
hoping this blog in combination with some emailing, writing and calling will
keep us connected with all of you while we're here.

The notes (thanks, Jen) and emails you've all sent are so appreciated. We l
ook forward to hearing what's new with each of you. So, keep 'em comin'!

More on Ireland soon...
Sam